An original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, manufactures products or components which are purchased by a purchasing company and retailed under the purchasing company's brand name. OEM refers to the company that originally manufactured the product.

An agreement between a producer of a resource and a buyer of a resource to purchase/sell portions of the producer's future production.

Any of a class of unsaturated open-chain hydrocarbons such as ethylene, having the general formula CnH2n

A chemical process that converts monomers to a finite degree of polymerization; can be used to convert alcohols such as ethanol (a C2 molecule) into longer chain hydrocarbons such as jet fuel (C8, C10, C12, C14, C16). See also "ATJ or Alcohol-to-Jet"

Tiny particles of volatile and nonvolatile solid or liquid suspended in a gas or liquid

A generic term applied to oil and oil products in all forms, such as crude oil, lease condensate, unfinished oils, petroleum products, natural gas plant liquids, and non-hydrocarbon compounds blended into finished petroleum products.

A pipe used to transport liquids or gases.

Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of condensed organic substances by heating in a low oxygen environment (to prevent combustion). Can be used to convert plant material to crude oil that can be used for biofuels.

Qualification processes are used by specification-writing organizations such as ASTM International to develop new fuel specifications, or to revise existing specifications (e.g. to add a new alternative fuel). These qualification processes will include a technical evaluation of the fuel followed by development of the specification requirements and criteria.

Process of converting lignocellulosic biomass to a biocrude via acid hydrolysis, followed by a condensation step to create carbon chains which are then hydrotreated to convert the bio-crude into drop-in fuel.

See also Biofuel.

A production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.

The process of purification of a substance or a form; e.g., crude oil into refined petroleum products

Energy generated from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable (naturally replenished)

The element sulfur, often found in petrochemical feedstocks. When combusted, any sulfur present in the fuel oxidizes to form oxides of sulfur (often referred to as SOx) which are a major air pollutant (contributing to acid rain and atmospheric particulates). This factor is the driving force behind efforts to introduce ultra-low sulfur fuels. Sulfur does have the positive effect of being a natural lubricant in jet engine fuel system components, so its complete removal will drive the need for incorporating lubricity additives for the fuel.

Terminology preferred by international and EU stakeholders to describe conventional jet fuel blended with jet fuel derived from sustainable alternatives to petroleum.

Aviation fuels produced sustainably from renewable resources (in whole or in part). See also Biofuel.

Nomenclature for an approved process for the creation of jet fuel blending component using synthesized iso-paraffins from the specialized fermentation of sugars. The specification for this fuel is included in ASTM D7566, Annex A3.

A very generic term for jet fuel produced from a non-petroleum sources. See also Alternative Fuel

A more descriptive but still generic term for a jet fuel blending component that contains aromatic content.

See description under Sulfur

CAAFI's R&D Team webinar series focused on the co-processing of biofuels within existing refinery systems with an emphasis on the applicability of this approach to produce aviation biofuels.

Drop-in alternative jet fuel blending component consisting of paraffins derived from non-petroleum sources (often biofuels). It is not a complete replacement for jet fuel as is does not contain cyclo-paraffins or aromatics. (See Jet Fuel)

STG+ gas-to-liquids technology is a thermochemical catalytic process to convert syngas derived from natural gas, biomass or municipal solid waste into methanol, which is dehydrated into dimethyl ether and then converted via catalysis, transalkylation and hydrogenation into drop-in transportation fuels, such as gasoline, jet fuel and aromatic chemicals